The patios in Córdoba are themselves true floral installations. Inherited from the Romans and perfected by the Arabs, the tradition of preserving these courtyards remains intact today, making them one of the hallmarks of this city in Andalusia, along with its world-famous mosque.

The people of Córdoba have for centuries tended to their patios with the utmost care, and this everyday spectacle reaches its high point in the month of May, to become the main event in the city: the Fiesta de los Patios. During this event, the city’s popular patios leave the private realm behind and open their doors to invite everyone in.

At the FLORA International Flower Festival, some of the best floral artists in the world transformed some of the city’s institutional patios, lent by the City Council, with their installations.

This palace (currently the Córdoba Archaeological Museum) was built over the ruins of an old Roman theatre, and thus, a part of the theatre stands can be seen in one of the rooms.

The square-shaped footprint of the palace (which dates from the 16th century) is arranged around two patios. The first is rectangular, holds the entry area and features a pool in the centre. It adjoins the second patio by means of an open arcade with round arches, in 16th-century Italian style. The rooms of the original home are arranged around the second patio, with round arches on two floors.

PLAZA DE JERÓNIMO PÁEZ, 7
CÓRDOBA

FROM 19TH TO 28TH OCTOBER, 2018
11:00 AM TO 8:00 PM

Carly RogersGBR

ARTIST

United Kingdom, 1975. Rogers’s training as a florist began when she was in her teens and provided her with the technical foundations that have allowed her to go further in her work. You will always find an artistic and experiential intention in the work of this London girl, who grew up in the neighbourhood of Camberwell.

Trained at the Royal College of Art, her interests go beyond floral art, encompassing contemporary art and fashion. Rogers’s style has a touch of the anarchic: seemingly disordered and free, it draws from the classic English garden and connects directly with the public. In her installations, plants and flowers seem to appear effortlessly, but do not be fooled: Carly’s hand is behind every detail.

The Posada del Potro inn is mentioned in such masterpieces of Spanish literature as Don Quijote (by Miguel de Cervantes, who, it is said, stayed here whenever he came to the city) and La feria de los discretos (or The City of the Discreet, by Pío Baroja), and it is the quintessential vernacular home of the 14th and 15th centuries, which is commonly referred to as a “corral de vecinos”, or humble dwellings grouped around a central courtyard. It was built as an inn, and was used for this purpose until 1972, while currently housing the Fosforito Flamenco Centre.

Quarters such as the stables and rooms are laid out around its central patio. The upper floor features wooden railings, supports and roof overhangs, which were restored in 2005 during the creation of the Flamenco Centre. This patio is one of the iconic images of the city, where Flamenco singing, music and dance performances are often held.

PLAZA DEL POTRO
CÓRDOBA

FROM 19TH TO 28TH OCTOBER, 2018
11:00 AM TO 8:00 PM

Hideyuki NiwaJPN

ARTIST

Japan, 1973. He has been surrounded by flowers since he was born: his family run a flower shop and, since he started working at a prestigious store in this sector in Tokyo, Kamon Flowergate, he has stand by the flowers. In 2013 he founded Hideyuki Niwa Design Office, from where he disseminated his delicate, contemporary and refreshing style. “Imagine and create” is his motto, and “Botanical Metamorphosis” the process he uses to show us a new form of beauty.

Winner of the gold medal (category of Floral Art) at Singapore Garden Festival 2016, he enjoys confronting the flowers with other materials, achieving surprising and always beautiful fusions.

Palacio de Orive, also known as Casa de los Villalones, is one of the most beautiful Renaissance buildings of the city, built in 1560 by Hernán Ruiz II. Nowadays, it is mainly used as headquarter of Culture, Festivities and Tourism.

This building comprehends two patios, around which are the many rooms of the house.

The Patio Central is covered by white walls and a beautiful marble floor. Even though its floral decoration is not excessive, this place is considered as a particular spot where the visitor can find most traditional plants of Córdoba; i.e. geranios, gitanillas and pilastras.

PLAZA DE ORIVE, 2
CÓRDOBA

FROM 19TH TO 28TH OCTOBER, 2018
11:00 AM TO 8:00 PM

Lola GuerreraSPA

ARTIST

Spain, 1982. There is one overriding theme in the entire body of artwork by this Cordovan artist born in 1982: vulnerability.

Her delicate view of the fragility of beauty has, inevitably, focused on plants.

As a winner of awards such as those granted by the AENA Foundation, Fundación Biodiversidad, Caminos de Hierro and the Andalusian Photography Contest, Guerrera manages to astonish viewers with simple, small-scale materials often collected from the area where the work is exhibited.

Mateo Inurria School of Art

GARDEN

The Mateo Inurria School of Art is abuzz with young people and adults yearning to learn the best techniques for artistic creation: photography, illustration, interior design, temporary architecture, furniture design, sculpture, leatherwork, etc.

It is located in the Palace of Hoces (also known as the Palace of the Duke of Hornachuelos), which is a mid-19th century building that was transformed from a private residence into an educational institution in 1965. Rarely visited, its garden courtyard is one of the palace’s best-kept secrets, a refuge of nature and Romanticism in the heart of Cordoba.

PLAZA DE LA TRINIDAD, 1
CÓRDOBA

FROM 19TH TO 28TH OCTOBER, 2018
11:00 AM TO 8:00 PM

Mark ColleBEL

ARTIST

Belgium, 1978. Devoted to floristry since he was 15, Colle’s journey to become what he is today has been long: he is currently one of the most prestigious and sought-after names in floral art, to be found at his delightful florist’s shop in Antwerp (called Baltimore in honour of John Waters) or at the best catwalks in the world. It is impossible to talk about Colle without mentioning that crucial moment in his career: the first fashion show by Raf Simons for Dior, a vision of peonies, dahlias, carnations, delphiniums and roses that awed the world in 2012, covering the walls of a Parisian palace. His versatile, contemporary, anarchical and sophisticated style forces us to see flowers in a new light.

CORDOBA PROVINCIAL COUNCIL

CLOCK COURTYARD

The Merced Palace was originally a convent, later became a poorhouse and currently houses the Cordoba Provincial Council. This magnificent Baroque building stands across from the Jardines de Colon (Columbus Gardens) and features spaces such as the main cloister, one of the highlights of the Andalusian Baroque period, and the Patio del Reloj.

The restoration of the building, done by Rafael de la Hoz, one of the driving forces behind the modernisation of Spanish architecture in the second half of the 20th century, included the design of this unique vertical sundial of Classical Roman inspiration, crowned by the sculpture of the sun created by the recently deceased artist Tomás Egea.

PLAZA DE COLÓN, 15
CÓRDOBA

FROM 19TH TO 28TH OCTOBER, 2018
11:00 AM TO 8:00 PM

NATALIA ZHIZHKORUS

ARTIST

Russia, 1973. The work of this floral artist is an accurate reflection of her personality: lively, effusive, empathetic, colourful and joyful.
She was born in Estonia but soon substituted the landscape there with that of Russia, where she is now one of the biggest names in artistic and commercial floristry. A winner of numerous awards (World Flower Garden Show 2015 in Japan, European Cup 2011, Russian Cup 2009…) and non-stop traveller, Zhizhko travels the world, always ready to share her knowledge with anyone she meets who loves flowers and to prove that the only limit that an artist must accept is that of her imagination.

Viana Palace

PATIO DE LAS COLUMNAS

In Cordoba, one of the best ways of displaying grandeur is with a courtyard, and Viana Palace has twelve, plus a garden. There is little more to add, but let us recall that this is a noble residence that belonged to the aristocracy from the 15th to the 19th centuries, until the 3rd marchioness of Viana sold the house to the Provincial Savings Bank of Cordoba in 1980. It currently belongs to the CajaSur Foundation.

Each courtyard in Viana Palace has its own character, its unique time of day, its own way of complementing the architectural beauty of the building. The Courtyard of the Columns is the most recent one and the best suited to activities involving an audience.

PLAZA DE DON GOME, 2
CÓRDOBA

FROM 19TH TO 28TH OCTOBER, 2018
11:00 AM TO 8:00 PM

Sherlovell YuCHN

ARTIST

China, 1988. Honghui Yu (Sherlovell) is the artistic director of the Cohim Flower School, the leading floral design school in China. He believes that what floral art needs is a new cross-cutting, diversified perspectiveto open up horizons beyond classical flower arrangements. It is not surprising that he also works in graphic design, furniture design, fashion, art photography, interior design and exhibition conceptualisation. His young age does not prevent him from being one of the big names in China’s floral design scene: he has a vision for the future and talent in abundance.